JimS Posted 27 June , 2018 Share Posted 27 June , 2018 Hi, I bought these at an estate sale. The owner said his father brought them back from ww2. After more research I realized they were ww1 era. They are lemaire fabt. There are no markings on them indicating they were military issued, as I have seen on others, so does that rule them out as having been used in ww1? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardenerbill Posted 27 June , 2018 Share Posted 27 June , 2018 10 minutes ago, JimS said: does that rule them out as having been used in ww1 Not necessarily, officers bought a lot of their own equipment. Sorry don't know anything about the binoculars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikB Posted 27 June , 2018 Share Posted 27 June , 2018 (edited) They could well have been used in WW1 as a private purchase. Galileans like these are essentially late c19 glasses, obsolescent by the start of WW1 through the higher magnification and better field of view of the Zeiss Feldstecher. Nevertheless, Galileans have good light grasp and wide tolerance of eyesight defects, and the critical shortage of all sorts of optics at the start of WW1 - at least in Britain - drew a lot of them into service through official and unofficial channels. Without acceptance marks, if these were used it was unofficial. It has to be said, though, that they don't look as if they've spent years up to the their neck in muck and bullets... Edited 27 June , 2018 by MikB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
depaor01 Posted 27 June , 2018 Share Posted 27 June , 2018 I believe thousands of civilian pocket watches were also 'called up' for service and subsequently broad arrow marked. They appear for sale regularly. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikB Posted 27 June , 2018 Share Posted 27 June , 2018 4 minutes ago, depaor01 said: I believe thousands of civilian pocket watches were also 'called up' for service and subsequently broad arrow marked. They appear for sale regularly. Dave Yes, but that involved inspection, official acceptance and markings. A soldier taking his own or family binoculars out on service didn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimS Posted 27 June , 2018 Author Share Posted 27 June , 2018 Hi all, thanks for the input. I too thought that their remarkable condition could mean they may have not been used in the war. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimS Posted 27 June , 2018 Author Share Posted 27 June , 2018 Could they be civil war era, as I have seen some that appear to look identical to these on the internet, that are labeled civil war era? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikB Posted 27 June , 2018 Share Posted 27 June , 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, JimS said: Could they be civil war era, as I have seen some that appear to look identical to these on the internet, that are labeled civil war era? Field glasses didn't really become common till the 1880s and 90s. In the 50s and 60s it was the multidraw compact telescope that was usual. At 4" long folded, these were easily pocketed and some were very good. There's a good scene in 'Dances With Wolves' where the Civil War officer demonstrates his to one of the senior Native Americans during a buffalo hunt. Small Galilean opera glasses had been around from about 1800, along with similar monocular spyglasses, but neither were really adequate for military use. They tended to be ornate, as items for social status as much as use. Edited 27 June , 2018 by MikB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimS Posted 27 June , 2018 Author Share Posted 27 June , 2018 Thanks, any ideas on how I can date them more accurately? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikB Posted 27 June , 2018 Share Posted 27 June , 2018 2 hours ago, JimS said: Thanks, any ideas on how I can date them more accurately? Sorry, there's little documentation I know of. The window's *about* 1870 to 1910, but there are outliers to that. The design looks more or less mature, but lacks a hinged bridge or strap loops - I'd say most likely 1890s, but that's a guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimS Posted 27 June , 2018 Author Share Posted 27 June , 2018 Thank you, I’m surprised that I can’t find a serial number or some marking. I would think they would have something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikB Posted 28 June , 2018 Share Posted 28 June , 2018 12 hours ago, JimS said: Thank you, I’m surprised that I can’t find a serial number or some marking. I would think they would have something like that. Sorry - "...lost in time - like tears in rain..." (Blade Runner) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Croft Posted 29 June , 2018 Share Posted 29 June , 2018 These are actually spot on for a British officer in the early part of the war. The army was unable to keep up the demand for British made prismatic binoculars so had to bring in large quantities of these simpler French type. You see a lot without the military stamp but that could simply mean they were purchased privately through their outfitter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimS Posted 6 July , 2018 Author Share Posted 6 July , 2018 Hi, thank you for your input on this topic. Appreciate it. The person who brought them back lived to be 100 years old and survived the second wave at Normandy and the Batle of the Bulge. Not sure if he used them in the war or got them as a souvenir afterwards but they are a nice addition to my collection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now